THURSDAY, FEB. 19
WORLD
JAI UTTAL & THE PAGAN LOVE ORCHESTRA
In Hinduism, bhakti means devotion, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith or love, often to a personal deity. For decades, Jai Uttal has used this faith as the core of his music, living with Bengalese street musicians and mastering kirtan, the art of chanting and singing to God, with his guru Neem Karoli Baba. To that tradition he’s brought reggae, rock, jazz and soul, creating what is really a whole new genre. He and his band, the Pagan Love Orchestra, have been playing together since 1990, and will bring their mission of love to The Freight, along with an invitation to audience members to “sing, dance and commune.” – JANIS HASHE
INFO: 8pm, The Freight, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $39-$44. 510.644.2020.
THURSDAY, FEB. 19
JAZZ
NICOLE MCCABE
West Coast jazz fans have every reason to feel pride over the ascension of Nicole McCabe, the Novato-raised alto saxophone powerhouse who’s established herself as one of the most exciting improvisers on the L.A. scene. She made an impressive entrance with her 2020 debut album, Introducing Nicole McCabe. McCabe’s supple phrasing and huge sound has made her a collaborator of choice for a disparate array of jazz heavyweights, from drummer Ari Hoenig and vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater to pianist Gerald Clayton and vibraphonist Sasha Berliner. She’s back in the Bay Area to celebrate the release of her new album, Color Theory, with bassist Alan Jones, pianist Michael Potter and drummer Michael Mitchell. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: 7:30pm, The Sound Room, 3022 Broadway, Oakland. $32. 510.708.9691.
FRIDAY, FEB. 20
PODCAST
‘CINEMA THERAPY’
What’s better than watching a movie with friends and having an in-depth conversation about the character dynamics, their off-screen backstories and what they would be like in real life? What if those friends are a licensed therapist and filmmaker? That’s exactly the premise behind “Cinema Therapy” with hosts Jonathan Decker (LMFT) and Alan Seawright (director). This week they dive into the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise to bring a special couples’ therapy twist to the show as they dissect the relationship between Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). Get ready for a night of swashbuckling, love and plenty of dad jokes with an exclusive Q&A after. – MAT WEIR
INFO: 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $40-$89. 510.214.8600.
FRIDAY, FEB. 20
THEATER
‘ONCE’
The Tony Award-winning musical Once, based on the 2007 film of the same name, tells a story of how music triumphs over cultural differences, allowing people to connect with those who come from very different backgrounds. It takes place in Dublin, where a busker meets a Czech immigrant. They discover an instant musical bond, begin to write songs together and, of course, also fall in love. The song “Falling Slowly,” which won an Oscar for Best Original Song, tells us, “Well, you have suffered enough/And warred with yourself/It’s time that you won.” Words to love by. Goes till March 15. – JH
INFO: 7pm, Berkeley Playhouse, 2640 College Ave., Berkeley. $33. 510.845.8542.
FRIDAY, FEB. 20
JAZZ
LIBERTY ELLMAN TRIO
Bay Area guitarist Liberty Ellman was in the thick of the action in the ’90s. Relocating to New York at the turn of the century, he became a pivotal figure in several celebrated bands, most conspicuously Henry Threadgill’s ensemble, Zooid. He’s released a half-dozen excellent albums of his own but has made his widest mark as a collaborator. Since moving back to the Bay Area five years ago, when the California Jazz Conservatory recruited him as a professor, Ellman has gradually begun performing more around the region. Though the degree-granting program closed down last year, Ellman is sticking around. He plays with a stellar trio featuring drummer Jaimeo Brown and bassist Jeff Denson. – AG
INFO: 8pm, The Jazzschool, 2087 Addison St., Berkeley. $25. 510.845.5373.
SATURDAY, FEB. 21
HIP-HOP
FATBOI SHARIF
Fatboi Sharif operates in rap’s creepier corridors, where horror imagery, gallows humor and emotional candor bleed together. The New Jersey MC is known for verses dense with grotesque detail and precisely honed lyrics, delivered over beats that feel warped and woozy. On his 2025 release, Goth Girl On The Enterprise, Sharif pushes that unstable world further out of orbit. The album is a sci-fi fever dream of body horror and dark comedy with production that lurches, shimmers and decays. It’s unsettling but magnetic work, rap that drags listeners into its unstable inner terrain. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: 8pm, Thee Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $15/adv, $20/door. 510.859.8709.
SATURDAY, FEB. 21
THEATER
‘DISENCHANTED’
“Disenchanted! The Hit Musical Comedy” gleefully detonates the Disney fairy-tale fantasy, swapping earnest moral lessons for sharp satire and bawdy jokes as Snow White gathers a fed-up cohort of princesses to torch the myths that have flattened them into marketable cliché. Written by Dennis T. Giacino and Fiely Matias, the show leans hard into adult humor, cultural references and sly political digs, delivering a high-energy revue with late-night cabaret sauciness. If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at happily-ever-after, this is a sparkling takedown of it. Performance also on Sunday. – SBB
INFO: 4 & 8pm, Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, 10 10th St., Oakland. $57-$63.
SATURDAY, FEB. 21
JAZZ
MARCUS SHELBY SEXTET
Composer, bassist, bandleader and educator Marcus Shelby and his sextet meet up with Charles Mingus. “Conversation: The Language of Charles Mingus” offers a rare opportunity to hear compositions written by the American composer between 1950 and 1960, select excerpts from Mingus’ body of works and an oratory by Shelby. Archival film clips and Shelby’s own input about the history of American music and Black musicians add to the dynamic range of the live performance. In addition to Shelby, the sextet comes stocked with first-rate musicians: Darren Johnston (trumpet), Tony Peebles (alto sax), Danny Lubin-Laden (trombone), Greg Jacobs (piano) and Jemal Ramirez (drums). – LOU FANCHER
INFO: 5:30pm, Piedmont Piano Company, 1728 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. $30-35. 510.547.8188.
SATURDAY, FEB. 21
DANCE
A.I.M.
Choreographer Kyle Abraham brings his sublime A.I.M. company to Berkeley for this Cal Performances debut. Featuring live music, the program’s three works spring from the inspiration Abraham drew from the compositions. Stories told veer from love to isolation to social revolution. Black and queer culture are inextricably embedded in every solo, duet and ensemble section. The program’s music includes “The Gettin’,” with music by Max Roach and arrangements and original compositions by Robert Glasper; Nina Simone’s “If We Were a Love Song”; and the Bay Area Premiere of “2 X 4,” by composer/saxophonist Shelley Washington. Performance also on Sunday. – LF
INFO: 8pm, Cal Performances at Zellerbach Hall, 101 Zellerbach Hall, #4800, Berkeley. $38-$89. 510.642.9988.
TUESDAY, FEB. 24
POP
ARTEMAS
Pop is a large genre that can incorporate a wide girth of different sounds. So when Artemas was trying to define his music, he opted to call it Lovercore, which he also named his fourth mixtape. And in all honesty, it’s the perfect way to describe his catchy and darkly romantic style. His songs of infatuation and heartbreak take elements from industrial and post-punk, yet remain very much in the dance/club end of the pop pool. It’s no wonder that at 26 years old, the British singer, songwriter and producer already has over 3 billion streams and No. 1 hits around the world from Latvia to Germany. – MW
INFO: 8pm, Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $50-$74. 510.302.2250.
